Aaron Lewis’s ‘Country Boy’ certified gold in the US

Posted on by

Aaron Lewis’s solo debut single ‘Country Boy’ has been certified gold in the US, having shifted over 50,000 copies.

The track comes from Lewis’s country influenced EP ‘Town Line’, which gained 37,000 sales during first week of release and eventually reached #7 on the Billboard 200 chart and #1 on the Billboard Country chart.

The news comes during the same week Lewis’s band Staind released their seventh album, which saw the band moving back towards their heavy roots.
Read a review of ‘Town Line’ here.

JUSTIN KLINE – Triangle EP

Posted on by

Justin Kline’s 2008 EP ‘Six Songs’ is one of many brilliant, yet unsung power pop releases of the 00’s; it’s six numbers recalling the work of Will Owsley (who sadly left us in 2010). Kline’s follow –up release isn’t exactly what he had planned. With a new release nearing completion, his studio was broken into and the master tapes were stolen.

With only a couple of the songs surviving, work on his full length debut would have to start almost from scratch. So in the meantime, Kline released the early mixes of the two surviving songs, coupled with a couple of out-takes as an EP. ‘Triangle’ (which seems like an odd name, when you consider it features four numbers) is almost split in two regarding musical styles: two of the numbers feature a similar kind of Owsley meets Jellyfish power pop (as delivered on the ‘Six Songs’ release), while the other two show far more invention – maybe pushing things a little too far into unnecessarily quirky territory.

‘Baby, You’re a Mess’ features Kline in classic power pop mode. During this superbly arranged piece of seventies-themed, Jellyfish inspired pop/rock, Kline delivers a simple, catchy hook. His slightly high register is backed ably by chiming chords, solid drumming and an uncomplicated bassline, then topped with an occasional keyboard fill that could be best described as Cars-esque. A strong opener, certainly – one which is almost certain to please fans of Kline’s previous EP. With a slightly spikier feel and use of a timeless “na na”, ‘Alison, We Cannot Be Friends’ takes this style and cranks it up a notch. A strong lead vocal is counterbalanced by multi-layered harmonies and once again, the musical arrangement is brilliant. Beneath the layers of vocals, Kline’s use of electric piano is subtle and although a twangy guitar solo may not appear to be the most obvious style choice here, somehow it seems to work. The end musical arrangement seems far too chirpy for a song about a break-up, but musically, at least, it’s another almost faultless example of classic power pop.

‘Please Go Away’ opts for a carny vibe. It’s not the kind of cool and sinister carnival atmosphere conjured up by Tom Waits on his ‘Blood Money’ disc. Nor is it the kind of brilliant sideshow you could possibly associate with Alice Cooper. No, Kline’s carnival atmospheres are brightly coloured, dizzy affairs – kinda like being stuck on a merry-go-round horse in ‘Mary Poppins’, while being force-fed candyfloss by Dick Van Dyke. A piano waltz provides something off-kilter, but it doesn’t stop there: Kline’s distinctive vocal style makes the piece feel as though it’s spinning even further and keyboard overdubs create a feeling of increasing unease. Throw on some sleigh bells for good measure and the end result becomes rather claustrophobic. ‘The Coffee Song’ closes the EP with a similarly styled sugar overload, being another power pop waltz with multi-tracked vocals, sleigh bells, stabbed piano, whistling and glockenspiel overdubs. Like ‘Please Go Away’ it’s impossible to deny that the end result is expertly crafted – and with great production values – but it’s more than a little cloying.

Since two of ‘Triangle’s four songs veer a little too far towards kitsch values, this is not quite as essential as Kline’s previous EP. If you were a fan of Kline previously, you’ll certainly find something here to make you sit up and take notice, but first time listeners may be better advised to seek out ‘Six Songs’ first.

October 2010

The Computers: Remaining 2011 tour dates

Posted on by

Exeter punks The Computers have announced they are to play three shows supporting Hot Snakes in December. These three dates extend what is already a gruelling tour schedule for the band throughout the tail end of 2011.

THE COMPUTERS – REMAINING 2011 TOUR DATES

Mon, Sep 26 Soundhouse, Leicester, United Kingdom
Tue, Sep 27 Academy 2, Manchester, United Kingdom (supporting The Subways)
Wed, Sep 28 Foundry, Sheffield, United Kingdom (supporting The Subways)
Thu, Sep 29 Sin City, Swansea, United Kingdom (supporting The Subways)
Thu, Sep 29 Club Revolution, Peterborough, United Kingdom
Sat, Oct 1 Thekla, Bristol, United Kingdom (supporting The Subways)
Sun, Oct 2 The 12 Bar, Swindon, United Kingdom
Mon, Oct 3 Southampton University, Southampton, United Kingdom (supporting The Subways)
Tue, Oct 4 Koko, London, United Kingdom (supporting The Subways)
Sat, Oct 8 Trix, Antwerp, Belgium (supporting The Icarus Line)
Sun, Oct 9 Capitol, Offenbach, Germany (supporting The Subways)
Mon, Oct 10 Bei Chez Heinz, Hannover, Germany
Tue, Oct 11 Exhaus, Trier, Germany (supporting Samiam and Off With Their Heads)
Wed, Oct 12 FZW, Dortmund, Germany (supporting The Subways)
Thu, Oct 13 E-Werk, Cologne, Germany (supporting The Subways)
Sun, Oct 23 Merleyn, Nijmegen, Netherlands
Mon, Oct 24 Astra, Berlin, Germany (supporting The Subways)
Tue, Oct 25 Stodola, Warsaw, Poland (supporting The Subways)
Wed, Oct 26 Alibi, Wroclaw, Poland (supporting The Subways)
Fri, Oct 28 MMC, Bratislava, Slovakia (supporting The Subways)
Sat, Oct 2 Schlachtof, Dresden, Germany (supporting The Subways)
Sun, Oct 30 Lucerna Music Hall, Prague, Czech Republic (supporting The Subways)
Tue, Nov 1 Posthof, Linz, Austria (supporting The Subways)
Wed, Nov 2 Orpheum, Graz, Austria (supporting The Subways)
Fri, Nov 4 Backstage Werk, Munich, Germany (supporting The Subways)
Sat, Nov 5 Gasometer, Vienna, Austria (supporting The Subways)
Mon, Nov 7 Longhorn, Stuttgart, Germany (supporting The Subways)
Tue, Nov 8 Komplex 457, Zurich, Switzerland (supporting The Subways)
Sat, Dec 10 Kazimier, Liverpool (supporting Hot Snakes)
Sun, Dec 11 The Cluny, Newcastle (supporting Hot Snakes)
Mon, Dec 12 Brudenell Social Club (supporting Hot Snakes)

Read a review of The Computers EP ‘You Can’t Hide From…’ here.

New video by Dead Exs now online

Posted on by

New York garage blues duo The Dead Exs have made a promo video for their track ‘More Stuff’. It was shot on location at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ in summer 2011.

The song comes from their debut album ‘Ressurrection’ which was released back in March and has already gained the band a cult following.

You can watch the video below, or read a review/stream the album here.

New Misfits album released in November

Posted on by

Punk legends (The) Misfits are releasing a new album in November.

The band currently consists of founding member Jerry Only on bass/vocals, Eric Arce on drums and ex-Black Flag man Dez Cadena on guitar.

‘The Devil’s Rain’ is the band’s first album of self-penned material since 1999. The band’s last release ‘Project 1950’, a covers record, peaked at #133 on the US Billboard chart.

The tracklist is as follows:

1. “The Devil’s Rain”
2. “Vivid Red”
3. “Land of the Dead”
4. “The Black Hole”
5. “Twilight of the Dead”
6. “Curse of the Mummy’s Hand”
7. “Cold in Hell”
8. “Unexplained”
9. “Dark Shadows”
10. “Father”
11. “Jack the Ripper”
12. “Monkey’s Paw”
13. “Where Do They Go?”
14. “Sleepwalking”
15. “Ghost of Frankenstein”
16. “Death Ray”

Both ‘Land of the Dead’ and ‘Twilight of the Dead’ are re-recorded versions of songs issued on a 2009 single.

Read a review of Black Flag’s ‘Damaged’ here.
Read a review of Black Flag’s ‘My War’ here.